Gangnam bust for top Chinese crime boss: Interpol

People make their way along a street in the Gangnam district of Seoul

LYON - One of China's most wanted crime bosses, Chuanbo Lu, has been arrested in South Korea and handed over to the Beijing authorities, international police agency Interpol announced on Monday.

Lu's arrest is a "severe blow" to a "significant international organised crime network," said Jong-Gil Kim, head of the Seoul police's international crime investigation unit.

Lu was wanted for attempted murder and for being one of the main leaders of a major crime syndicate involved in extortion, drug running, money laundering and illegally running casinos in China, Interpol said.

The arrest came after months of cooperation and surveillance between the Interpol offices in Beijing and Seoul, a statement said.

Lu fled to South Korea. China then requested Interpol to issue a Red Notice, or an international request to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition.

South Korean officials conducted surveillance on Lu's luxury hideout in Seoul's upmarket Gangnam district from where he was suspected of "directing organised crime operations in China," according to Interpol.

He was handed over to Chinese authorities in Seoul on September 16, said the organisation, which is based in Lyon, France.